KNIGHTS warrior Tyson Frizell will miss Friday night's clash with his former club St George Illawarra at McDonald Jones Stadium after being ruled out with a hamstring injury.
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Frizell is understood to have suffered a strain at training this week and Newcastle's medical staff were not willing to risk him.
His absence means that 18th man Dylan Lucas is likely to win a recall into the squad, quite possibly as a direct replacement in the starting line-up.
Lucas played a full game at centre in last week's 20-12 loss to the Warriors but is predominantly a back-rower.
As well as his experience, leadership and rugged defence, the Knights will miss Frizell's ability to break the line, as evidenced by his two tries so far this season.
Newcastle have scored only nine tries in total, from the first four games, but coach Adam O'Brien is unconcerned and maintains there has been "a lot to like" about his team's early-season performances. The points table, on which the Knights sit 15th, after one win and three defeats, is something he will worry about in September: "When it's important."
"Look at the ladder, and you'll assume we've been awful, but that's not the case," O'Brien said.
Just 12 months ago, the Knights were in the same position at the corresponding stage of the season and recovered to finish fifth, earning a home play-off.
"It's early days," O'Brien said. "I actually think that our first month of footy this year is better than last year.
"The easiest thing for people to do is look at ladder positions and assume we're not doing well. The intelligent person - or the rugby league person - would see that there's a lot of good things going on in our game.
"OK, the results aren't there but they will come, and I feel that's the same way with our attack. We're not quite firing on all cylinders just yet, but we've got some time.
"It will come."
O'Brien said Newcastle were still laying the foundation for a long season and were "continuing to improve each week, sticking to the process".
"We'll be fine," he added. "We've been in worse situations than this."
O'Brien hopes his new-look halves pairing of Jackson Hastings and Jack Cogger will give the team an edge against the in-form Dragons, amid forecasts of rain.
"With the conditions, short turnaround, I just feel like it's the right thing to do, certainly for this week," O'Brien said of the decision to recall Hastings.
